Ceiling-washing apparatus



Oct. 27, 1925 1,559,479

P. USHATCH CEILING WASHING APPARATUS Original Filed May 17, 19 24 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5.3 2 2- 55 L-J-gEj jz-jjiiiiiizii 44 I 44 5 5 14 5U? i5 l 3 a 36 '1 M .14 1 1/ J; M

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INVENTOR @m Oct. 27, 1925- P. USHATCH CEILING WASHING APPARATL s 40 u M: 14, Q\ v. 1. m a d Ill M I i F \fi w m M m 0% m M Hum w 4 4 M m a 0 J m INVENTOR 5% W BY 7 (m in W ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 27, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER USHATCH, 0] NEW YORK, N. Y.

CEILING-WASHING APPARATUS.

Application fled In! 17, 1924, Serial No. 713,874. Renewed September 10, 1925.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, PETER Usns'rorr, c 1t1- zen of Russia, residing at New York city, in the county of Bronx and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ceiling Washmg Apparatus, of which the following 1s a spec1fica tion.

This invention relates to an apparatus intended for use in washing or calcimln ng ceilings, the invention having for an ob ect to provide a novel and improved apparatus of this sort which will be more rapid 1n operation than the usual hand methods employed, and which will enable ceilings of ordinary height to. be washed or calclmlned without the need of supplying trestles or supports to raise the workman from the floor.

For further comprehension of the invention and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

Fig. 1 of the drawing is a diagrammatlc view indicating my improved apparatus as in use.

Fig. 2 of the drawing is a longitudinal sectional view of the brush, this view being taken on the line 22 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the brush taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the brush.

Fig. .5 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a diagram of the electric connections.

Fig. 7 is a detail side view indicating the hinge mounting of the brush.

, Briefly speaking my improved apparatus comprises a brush adapted to receive a supply of liquid from a suitable source and containing a number of rotary units which have rotation imparted thereto through flexible drive connections from an electric motor. Referring now to the brush, the same comprises an elongated rectangular casing 10 which is open at the front, that is to say, the top when the brush is applied to a ceiling, and which is formed at the back with an a erture or port to which is connected a pipe 11 which serves to carry the waste liquid away from the brush.

Within thecasing 10 I mount three rotary brushes 12 which are spaced along the latter and which are resiliently mounted. As here shown the backing members of the brushes are seated in channeled supports 13 and are pressed upwardly by springs 14 located in said supports under the brushes, upward movement of the brushes being limited by the inturned flanges 15 on the top edges of the supports. These brushes receive rotation from a flexible shaft 18 which extends along the pipe 11 and is adapted to be connected at one end to an electric motor such as 19 indicated in Fig. 1, and at its other end, by means of a universal joint connection 20, with the lower end of a shaft 21 which extends upward in the casing 10 and is provided on its upper end with a worm pinion 23 meshing with a worm gear 24 on a horizontal shaft 25 supported by hearing elements 26 in the casing 10 and extending along the latter. Fixed to the shaft 25 are a number of worm pinions 28 which engage with worm gears 29 on the spindles 30 on the upper ends of which the channeled elements 13 are mounted, these spindles being suitably supported by the bearing members 26.

The central one of these spindles, indicated specifically at 30' is of hollow construction and has extending therethrough an u ward extension 33 from the pipe 33, w ich projects freely upward into the brush backing and communicates at its upper end with a branched passage 33' in the brush. This extension serves as a conduit to conduct water or other liquid to the brushes. The spindle engages at its lower end with the upper end of a valve casing 32 on the end of a pipe or tube 33 which extends through the larger pipe 11 and is adapted to be connected to a faucet or other source of liquid supply. Within the casing 32 is an upwardly seating valve 34 which controls the flow of water from the tube 33 into the brush 12, this valve having a stem 35 thereon which extends upwardly through the central brush 12' and has a knob 36 on its upper end which is adapted to bear on the ceiling to which the brush is applied to open the valve 34. the latter being normally retained closed by the spring 37. Anti-friction bearings such as 38 are provided on each of the spindles 30, 30'. From the valve casmg 32 pipes 32' lead to the spindles of the other rotary brushes through which the liquid is conveyed to the latter.

Extending around the sides and ends of the casing 10 are other non-rotatable brushes 42 which are resiliently mounted in the casing, being here shown as engaged in the channeled members 43 and ressed upwardly by the springs 44, which atter are located in the channeled member 43, under the said brushes, upward movement of the brushes being limited by inturned flanges 15 on said members 43.

In connection with my improved a paratus I preferably provide means Where y the circuit to the motor is automatically closed when the brush is placed in contact with the ceiling. As here shown a rod 48 is slidably mounted on one side of the casing being retained in the guide element 49 on the latter and has a knob 48' on its upper end adapted to bear on the ceiling to depress the rod when the brush is placed against the ceiling. The lower end of this rod is adapted to engage and bridge, when the rod is depressed, a pair of normally separated spring contact fingers 50 mounted in the guide element 49, a spring 51 being provded to lift the rod when the pressure on the ceiling is removed from the upper end of the latter.

The pipe 11 is rigid, and is of suflicient length to form a handle for the brush where by the latter can be applied to the ceiling of an ordinary room when the user of the brush is standing on the floor. Flexible lengths of hose or tubing 55 and 56 are connected at one end to the lower ends of the pipes 11 and 33 and may be extended from a sink or wash basin 57, the tube 56 connecting to the usual faucet 58 on the basin while the end of the tube 55 may be placed freely in the basin to discharge the waste water.

Upon the pipe 11, toward the lower end thereof, I mount a rheostat for controlling the motor. This rheostat comprises an insulating sleeve 65 rotatable on the pipe and having a contact 66 which is adapted to contact with a selected one of the contact members 67' mounted on the pipe 11 and engaged with different points on a resistance coil 67. A metal ring 68 is fixed to the pipe to have one of the leads connected thereto and the contact 66 on the sleeve is in permanent electrical connection therewith by means of the spring-pressed block 69. The usual house leads are shown at 70 and 71 and the connections 72 and 73 lead in series through the motor, rheostat and switch.

It is believed thatthe manner of opera tion and use of my improved apparatus will 'be readily understood from the above description. After the tubes 55 and 56 are suitably disposed, the workman grasps the p pe 11 and elevates the brush into contact with the ceilin to be cleaned, the water hemg caused to ow to the central brush, and the three rotatably mounted brushes to rotate, the water bein collected in the bottom of the casing 10 am? delivered to the sink or basin 57.

I may mount my improved brush upon the pipe 11 in the manner shown in Fig. 7 as here shown the casing 10 is formed on the bottom with a nip le 10 to which is connected a short flexible pipe 11 which connects also to the pipe 11. Fixed to the end of the pipe 11 is a collar 80 from which a pair of arms 81 project upwardly and have set screws 82 threaded through their upper ends into suitable sockets in the part 10. By loosening these screws the angle of the brush with respect to the pipe 11 can be changed. It will be understood that a short flexible length will also -be inserted in the tubing 33, while a second universal joint may be provided in the shaft 18.

I may provide on the top of the casing 10 the resiliently mounted rollers 90 which bear on the surface being cleaned when the brush is pressed against the latter. In order to shield the gear elements which rotate the brushes from the water flowing down into the casing from the rotating brushes, I provide a housing 91. As will be understood my improved brush may be used on walls as well as ceilings.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein shown, and that various changes and modifications might be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows A device of the type described comprising an open topped casing, a rotary channeled brush support in said casing, a brush mounted in said support for vertical movement therein and to be rotated therewith, springs in said support on which the brush rests, and a liquid feed pipe for supplying liquid to said brush said pipe extending freely into the said brush to permit of movement of the brush relative to the said pipe.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

PETER USHATCH. 

